


As Long as I've Got You

by Hllangel



Series: How to be Like Myself [3]
Category: One Direction (Band), Radio 1 RPF
Genre: BRIT Awards, Established Relationship, M/M, Red Carpets, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-04-07
Updated: 2014-04-07
Packaged: 2018-01-18 13:04:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,914
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1429618
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Hllangel/pseuds/Hllangel
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>There are a lot of discussions about how to deal with the red carpet this year. On the one hand, One Direction are up for a few awards, and it’s always good to present a unified front. Rumors of a band breakup over Nick are flying fast and furious these days, even though they’ve been in the studio working on a new album.</p>
<p>On the other hand, Nick and Harry are still the biggest news in British music right now. And Nick is hosting again this year, which means he’s tired and stressed from doing his show and getting trapped in endless production meetings and rehearsals. All of which means he’s grumpy and snappish the week before when Harry is trying to iron out plans for the day. </p>
<p>Or, the first time Harry and Nick attend the Brits together, after coming out.</p>
            </blockquote>





	As Long as I've Got You

**Author's Note:**

> Originally posted [here](http://glitterbootsandyellowshorts.tumblr.com/post/79706627506/future-fic-after-theyve-come-out-the-first-time-they). Unbetaed, any mistakes are my own. 
> 
> This is a work of fiction, based on the likeness and public personas of real people. If you are one of them and you're reading this, I'm so, so sorry. 
> 
> Set just before the Epilogue of [These Cards I've Been Dealt](http://archiveofourown.org/works/1223263)

There are a lot of discussions about how to deal with the red carpet this year. On the one hand, One Direction are up for a few awards, and it’s always good to present a unified front. Rumors of a band breakup over Nick are flying fast and furious these days, even though they’ve been in the studio working on a new album.

On the other hand, Nick and Harry are still  _the_  biggest news in British music right now.  _And_  Nick is hosting again this year, which means he’s tired and stressed from doing his show and getting trapped in endless production meetings and rehearsals. All of which means he’s grumpy and snappish the week before when Harry is trying to iron out plans for the day. 

"Just make a decision," Nick eventually says, rolling over in bed and burying his face in the pillows. 

 

"You’re not helping, Grim," Harry says irritably. He wants to walk the red carpet holding Nick’s hand more than anything. But he also wants to show with the lads, demonstrate in full color high def that they’re not actually breaking up anytime soon, no matter who Harry’s sleeping with. 

It’s late, but he gets out of bed again, searching for mostly clean clothes, texting Louis that he’s coming over. 

He does stop long enough to kiss Nick quickly and mutter a quick, “I’ll be back soon,” before stuffing his phone in his pocket and heading out. 

"I could have been busy," Lou says when he opens the door, arms crossed over his chest. 

Harry just grins at him, using the one that makes his dimples show and makes him look seventeen and perfectly innocent. “Like Zayn didn’t tell me he was over here earlier.” Harry doesn’t mention the smoking, but whatever, Louis knows what he means. 

Harry detours to the kitchen and grabs a beer before collapsing onto the sofa. Louis sits next to him and wraps an arm around his shoulders. 

"Grimmy’s being an arse about the Brits," he says after he’s finished about half the bottle. "Everyone wants something from me, and no matter what I do someone’s going to be pissed." 

Louis doesn’t say anything for a few minutes, just letting Harry get comfortable, finding space to breathe. Of course Louis has had a front seat to the entire debacle as it’s played out in furious emails and rounds of texts from everyone trying to wrangle them into place. It’s been going on for weeks, and nothing’s worked out with only days left. 

"Lets go over the options," Louis says. 

"One, I show with you lot. Big smiling picture of the five of us just like it’s been for the past six years. Everyone turns on Nick saying I’m too good for him, etc. All the things they’ve been saying, but it’s worse because they think we’re splitting already." 

"Right. Go on." 

"Two, I show up with Nick, all the pictures of the band are of you four and then there’s me and Nick and all anyone talks about is that we’re breaking up the band, everyone hates Nick even more." 

"What are you really worried about, Haz?" Louis asks, gently. He takes the nearly empty bottle from Harry’s hand and sets it on the side table in front of them. 

"Same things as always," Harry says. "I fucking hate it when they hate him and that’s going to happen no matter what we do. It’s never going to stop." Harry can feel his eyes getting moist, and he fights back against it, because for all that the last few months have been as charmed as they have, there’s also the undercurrent of ugliness that everyone’s worked to hard to shield them from. 

"Don’t get angry at me for asking this," Louis says, carefully, like he’s feeling his way around it. "But do you regret it?" 

It’s the first time anyone’s asked him if he regrets coming out, regrets the last few months. The quick, easy answer is an emphatic  _no_. He’s not lying about who he is, he finally has Nick, and they’re happy, so fucking happy, their relationship clicking together as easily as their friendship did. But there are a million small papercuts of things that are different now, starting with how many people are blaming Nick for the breakup that’s most definitely  _not happening_. Harry knows Nick tries to put up a good face about all of it, but it’s wearing on both of them. And probably on the other lads, too, even if they aren’t getting quite as much scrutiny. 

"No," he finally says, quiet. "No, I don’t." 

"We don’t actually have to split the baby," Louis says eventually. "I know all the discussions have been tossing you back and forth like a tennis ball, but there’s a third option that’s more logistically complicated given that Grimmy has to be at the arena all day, but he can arrive with all of us."

Harry looks at him, eyes wide. “What?” 

"Nick’s people don’t want it, because they don’t want to encourage the stories that Nick’s using you for fame, which will happen if he’s off to the side of half the red carpet candids of us. Our people don’t want it because it’s even more complicated than organizing all five of us into one place at one time. But the other lads are fine with it. We’ve all been waiting for you to decide. I was going to come round to tell you what to do tomorrow anyway." 

"I love you," Harry blurts out, eyes clearing up. Fuck logistics, they can make it work, and Harry can walk the red carpet with his boyfriend  _and_  his band. He leans over and gives Louis an exaggerated smack on the lips. 

Louis pinches him, but he’s laughing. “Love to see what the papers would say if they’d seen that. The return of Larry Stylinson!” 

"Fuck off," Harry says, shoving at Louis. He hugs Louis close again before getting up. "I should get back. Grim doesn’t like waking up alone, even though I told him I was going out for a bit." 

"Go take care of him. We’ll get on the teams in the morning and work everything out." 

By the time Harry strips and slides back into bed, Nick is so out he only wakes up enough to mumble something unintelligible at Harry before his eyes slide closed again. Harry kisses the top of his head and wraps his arms around Nick, drifting off to sleep himself. 

They don’t get a chance to talk until after Nick gets home from the show, the entire weekend stretching out in front of them. Harry tackles him to the bed as soon as he comes in and kisses him. 

"Lou’s a fucking genius," Harry says. 

"I thought the rule was that we don’t talk about your band in bed," Nick says, stretching up to kiss Harry before he can answer.

"You’re coming with us. I’ve been on the phone all morning with everyone. We’ll come round the back of the venue and pick you up so that you’ll arrive in the car with all of us." 

Nick smiles and messes with Harry’s hair before saying, “Perfect.” 

~*~ 

Harry’s still nervous when the time comes for them to walk the red carpet. He’s been texting Nick all day, the responses sometimes delayed as he’s pulled in every direction, making sure everything is set up for the actual awards. He also hasn’t been let alone. Niall had come around to his to get ready, supervising as Harry had a drink before they left the house, “to relax,” he’d claimed. 

He should be used to events like this by now, he’s certainly been to a ridiculous amount of them. But he feels seventeen again, doing this for the first time because he’s not just walking the carpet with the boys, he’s walking with them and his boyfriend, for the first time. Their first truly public appearance as a  _couple_. 

Zayn lays a calming hand on the back of his neck in the car, but abandons his seat next to Harry so that Nick can slide into it. Harry leans over to kiss him gently, resisting the urge to slide his hands into Nick’s perfect quiff, because Nick would never forgive him. 

When the doors open, Louis goes first, followed by Liam, Zayn and Niall, and finally Harry. The flashbulbs are ridiculously bright and the screaming is loud. Everything dies down for a second, though, when they realize that Harry’s not moving away from the car like the rest. 

It’s twice as loud when Nick emerges and takes Harry’s hand, lacing their fingers together. They hurry a bit to catch up with the lads. They all stop for a few pictures with fans, before they end up in the interview stages. There’s a ridiculous number of pictures of the five of them, all of them including Nick, and then several of Nick with Harry. 

Aside from the fact that it’s  _Nick_ , it’s also the first time any of them have brought a plus one to the event. (Perrie doesn’t really count since she’s there on her own with her band.) 

The ceremony itself passes in a blur of adrenaline from their performance, alcohol and sheer joy of getting to do this with his life. 

He and Nick split from the band after the first after party, but they stay out until about five, heading home for a shower and change of clothes and a quick shag, rough and hard, before they’re climbing into a cab to head into Radio One for the Post-Brits show, which has become something of a legend in the last few years. 

Harry’s been involved, but he hasn’t been in the studio itself since that first year. 

"Was wondering if we’d be going back to 2013," Finch says when Harry shows up, hanging off Nick’s arm. 

Harry snorts, “You think I’d let him come in here alone this year?” Harry says. He tunes out most of the pre-show meeting, which is a bit of a mess anyway, but takes the headphones Finchy hands him and settles into a chair next to Nick as the news plays. 

"Good morning!" Nick says, over the intro music. "Welcome to post-Brits 2016!" Harry pokes him. "No, stop it," Nick says. "Not you, nation, I’m sure you’re fine. I, on the other hand, have a pesky pop-star trying to tickle me. So we’re going to go into a record instead." 

Nick manages to hit the right button before Harry completely pounces on him, and before they get yelled at for potentially harming the equipment. 

The show is a bit of a mess, probably more so since Harry insists on having his say during most of the links, but if the texts coming in are anything to judge by, people do like it. 

Harry’s still giddy by the time they get home, even though the exhaustion is creeping in at the edges. 

He kisses Nick as soon as they’re in the door, pressing him against the wall, licking into his mouth and enjoying the feel of him everywhere, even his stale breath; he’s sure his own is about the same. 

"I love you," Harry breathes into Nick’s skin. "I fucking love you." 

Nick smiles, and leans forward for another kiss, hands at the small of Harry’s back, stroking over his spine and making Harry shiver in his arms.

"You’re still worth it, Styles."

 

**Author's Note:**

> Come find me on tumblr! [Glitterbootsandyellowshorts](http://glitterbootsandyellowshorts.tumblr.com)


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